A Tragic Farewell
by katie kerosene
Summary: Mage AU: Siana Hawke has been travelling with her lover Fenris. Her magic has been running thin. She has been tempted by a demon and has performed blood magic. They both know what must be done to save her...The cost will be great. (One Shot)


They had won another battle together. Fought their Templar enemies bravely and swiftly. But she had not been left unscathed. Her magic had been good to her thus far, but all the healing had taken its toll. She knelt on the sandy ground grasping at a gash in her arm that she could not heal even if she wanted to; the blood used in the fight. She was weak and frail. Fenris knelt before her and touched her shoulder. He was looking at her but she could not bring herself to look at him.

"You've been tempted. Haven't you…" the evenness of his voice was filled with effort. He had hoped never to speak those words. She still didn't look at him. Instead she dropped her head lower so the he couldn't see her face, couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes at his words and the truth behind them.

"My magic is beginning to fade," she said quietly. "He promised he could make it strong again."

"You know it won't get stronger with a demon's power," he said through clenched teeth and a crack in his voice. His grip tightened slightly. "Blood magic only weakens you, you know this."

"I had to try it…just to see if…" her words trailed off into a hushed sob. She knew it was wrong but her resolve had told her otherwise. She didn't know any other way. Lyrium potions were becoming harder and harder to come by on their journey through the badlands. "It speaks to me even now. I can't stop it."

Finally, she looked up at him. Tears flowing freely down her cheeks. The voice of the demon in her head was relentless but she kept it at bay. What she saw in him before her was something she had never seen before. His shoulders were slumped, his face centimeters from hers. His eyes looked up into hers, dark and lifeless when they had been so full of life. His mouth that used to smile at her was now a firm line as he tried to hold in sobs of his own.

"You know what I must do," he whispered inching his face closer to hers. She nodded and bit her lip in an attempt to compose herself.

 _No, you must kill him. I will bring you more power than you could every imagine._ The demon's voice grated through her thoughts.

"They're telling me to kill you…"

"To save themselves time."

"I know." She said and swallowed hard. "I want you to do this. I wouldn't want anyone else." She cracked a small smile and felt silly doing so. She knew he wouldn't return it though she longed for him to. "Could you smile for me, just one more time?"

He looked her in the eyes, the look in his unchanging, then he looked away.

"Siana, I…" he began. She stopped him by using some of the last of her strength to touch his soft, tan coloured cheek.

"The best times of my life with you have been seeing you smile. I want it to be one of the last things I see." She stroked her thumb on his cheek wiping away one of his tears. He leaned into this touch and closed his eyes for a moment. He managed to form his lips into that small smile he knew she loved. He had only ever used it in moments where they were most intimate, whether it be in a tent alone, or simply a knowing look at her when they sat by the fire together.

"You have always been the most important thing in my life," he said, moving his hand from her shoulder to her cheek, stroking it softly and tenderly as he had that first night. "No matter what had happened between us, I always loved you. I always will. You have changed my life for the better."

She closed her eyes as more tears fell and looked at him once again.

"I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Please, live on, for my sake," she leaned her forehead on his and closed her eyes. The hold the demon had on her was getting stronger. When she spoke next her voice was strained and shaky. "I know what we promised, but I've made this mistake on my own. I don't want you to suffer my fate."

He pulled away and took her hand from his cheek and held it in his. "If there's anything you've taught me since I met you, it's a will to live. I would hardly put that to waste."

She smiled again, more weakly than before. Her mental fortitude was waning, her vision beginning to cloud with the possession taking hold. In that moment, he held the back of her head and brought his face close, gently pressing his lips to hers. He kissed her with a desperation she had never felt from him before, as if he wanted to have the moment last for an eternity, to never let go. Minutes later she felt the flash of pain when his sword entered her torso and ran through. She gasped under his lips but he held her there. Even when the blood rose in her throat and dripped from her lips, he kept them there. Until finally he withdrew his weapon, causing her body to twitch slightly as she winced. He threw it aside and pulled his lips away. Then he pulled her towards him and she slumped into his arms. He held her and shuddered with sobs, his eyes closed. Her blood ran between them and she stared into the distance as the sunrise lit up the sky. Her vision grew dimmer and dimmer before finally fading to black. The last thing he heard from her lips was a whispered, _"Thank you…"_ before her head fell to the side. His cries of agony cut through the early morning as he mourned the loss of his true love.


End file.
